Method of joining and finishing the seam-margin edges of fabric plies



Aug. 31, 1948. E. MUECKE METHOD OF JOINING AND FINISHING THE SEAM-MARGIN EDGES OF FABRIC PLIES Filed Oct. 11, 1947 IN VEN TOR. Edward Jluecfie ATTORNEY WITNESS Patented Aug. 31, 1948 METHOD OF JOINING AND FINISHING THE SEAM-MARGIN EDGES OF FABRIC PLIES Edward Muecke, Linden, N. 1., assignor to The Singer Manufacturing Company, Elizabeth,

N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application October 11, 1947, Serial No. 779,334

3 Claims. (01. 112- 262) This invention relates to methods of finishing the seam-margin edges of fabric-plies secured together by stitching and has for its primary object to expedite the joining of fabric-plies and the binding of the raw edges of the seam-margins of the joined fabric plies.

The invention has also for an object to facilitate the opening and pressing of the seam-margins of joined fabric-plies.

These and other objects of the invention are attained by practising a method of joining and edge-finishing fabric-plies, according to which (1) the number of operations heretofore required are reduced, (2) the seam-margins are opened in the operation of joining the plies of fabric, and (3) the joining seam is stronger than heretofore.

The invention consists in the method of forming edge-finished and seam-margin opened joining seams for fabric-plies as hereinafter described in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a fabric ply having an edge bound by a stitched overedge seam. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of superimposed fabric-plies and shows the foldedge of the folded back and overedged margin of one fabric-ply secured by a line of stitches to a second fabric-ply having an overedged margin. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but having the second or bottom fabric-ply folded on the line of the edge-fold securing stitches.

When joining the margins of fabric-plies, it has heretofore been the practice to bind the raw edges of the plies in separate operations performed either before or after the operation of uniting the plies by a line of stitches, after which uniting operation the plies were separated and opened out on the line of the uniting seam. This left the ply-margins in contact with each other, thereby rendering it difficult to open and iron out the seam-margins. In accordance with the present invention, the number of operations is reduced, the joining seam is strengthened and the ironing of the opened out seam-margins is greately facilitated.

Referring to the drawings, the present improved method consists in first binding a raw edge I of a fabric-ply 2 and, preferably, as illustrated in Fig. 1 by means of a stitched overedge seam 3 which may be of a conventional type suitable to confine the fabric threads against fraying along the edge of the fabric-ply.

As shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, the fabricply 2 is then superimposed upon a. second fabricply 4, and the margin of the fabric-ply 2 having the overedge seam 3 is folded back so that the fold-edge 5 thus formed is substantially parallel to and is preferably spaced from the proximate raw edge 6 of the fabric-ply 4 a distance substantially equal to the width of the folded back margin of the fabric-ply 2.

The fold-edge 5 of the fabric-ply 2 is then secured to the fabric-ply 4 by a line of stitches 1 running along and preferably disposed close to the fold-edge 5. In the present case, the stitches l are of the two-thread chain-stitch type, but it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to that type of fold-edge securing seam.

The edge 6 of the fabric-ply 4 is bound by means, preferably, of a stitched overedge seam 8 which may also be of a conventional type suitable to confine the fabric-threads against fraying along the edge 6.

The superimposing of the fabric-plies 2 and 4, the folding back of the overedged margin of the fabric-ply 2, the securing of the edge-fold 5 to the fabric-ply 4 by the line of stitches 1, and the overseaming of the edge 6 of the fabric-ply 4 are all preferably performed simultaneously, or in one operation, by means of a conventional three-needle, two-looper chain-stitch sewing machine having covering-thread laying means. In this connection, it may be explained that the stitches l are similar to stitch type 401 and the stitches of the overedge seam 8 are similar to stitch type 602, both illustrated and described in the Federal Standard Stock Catalogue, section IV (part 5), and both conventionally produced by the same sewing machine in one operation.

Thus it will be understood that the present method requires only two seaming operations, namely, one operation to make the overedge seam 3 and another operation to make the line of stitches l and the overedge seam 8. Not only are the number of operations thereby reduced, but the fabric-ply joining seam is greatly strengthened by reason of the fact that the line of stitches 1 pass through the edge-fold 5.

The present invention presents the further advantage in' that when the superimposed plies 2 and 4 are separated by folding the ply 4 about the stitch-line 'l, as illustrated in Fig. 3, the ply margins are opened out to an extent permitting ready ironing of the ply-joining seam.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim herein is:

1. The method of forming an edge-finished and margin-opened joining seam for fabricplies, comprising, binding an edge of a ply of fabric, folding back upon itself the edge-bound margin of that ply and superimposing said ply of fabric upon a second fabric-ply with the foldedge of the folded-back and edge-bound margin spaced inwardly from and disposed substantially parallel to an edge of the second ply of fabric, securing the fold-edge of said folded-back margin to the second ply of fabric and simultaneously therewith binding the edge of the second fabric-ply proximate to said fold-edge.

2. The method of forming an edge-finished and margin-opened joining seam for fabric-plies, comprising, overedge stitching an edge of a first ply of fabric, superimposing said ply of fabric upon a second fabric-ply and folding back upon itself the overedge-stitched margin of the first fabric-ply to form a, fold-edge spaced inwardly from the proximate edge of the second fabricply, securing the folded-back margin to the sec- 0nd fabric-ply by a line of stitches disposed closely adjacent the fold-edge of said foldedback margin, and overedge stitching said proximate edge of the second fabric-ply.

3. The method of forming an edge-finished and margin-opened joining seam for fabric-plies, comprising, overedge stitching an edge of a first ply of fabric, folding back upon itself the overedged margin of that ply and superimposing said ply of fabric upon a second fabric-ply with the fold-edge of the folded-back margin spaced inwardly from an edge of the second fabric-ply a distance substantially equal to the Width of the folded-back margin, securing the folded-back margin to the second fabric-ply by a line of stitches disposed closely adjacent the fold-edge of said folded-back margin, and overedge stitching the edge of the second fabric-ply proximate to said fold-edge.

EDWARD MUECKE. 

